I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
New Mexico Secretary of State Mary Herrera is calling on the Legislature to pony up more money to pay for a first-rate campaign finance reporting system.
In a letter sent July 27 to a prominent state lawmaker, Herrera says the $176,500 the Legislature has appropriated to her office in the past for a new campaign finance reporting system is simply not enough.
“We … wish to inform you that $176,500 is not an adequate amount of money for such an enormous task for our agency which indeed affects all candidates for state office, the citizens of the state and the media,” Herrera wrote state Rep. Henry “Kiki” Saavedra, D-Albuquerque, the chairman of the House Administration & Finance Committee.
“By comparison, in 2008 the Wyoming State Legislature in House Bill 3 appropriated $2.5 million for the development of their new Campaign Finance reporting system. Wyoming’s 2000 population was approximately 493,782, while New Mexico’s population was over 1.8 million.”
“With this information we are providing, we certainly appreciate your consideration and any effort that you would be able to make on our behalf in considering these numbers and the task which we (are) currently facing with extremely limited funding.”
Herrera’s request for money comes as her office has struggled in recent months to build its own campaign finance reporting system with an in-house developer. That project appears to be on hold after Herrera placed the developer on administrative leave in late June.
Agency officials have said it is unclear how much more work is required to complete the in-house campaign finance reporting system. And indications are the agency may opt to go another route.
The latest discussions by the agency, and other state officials, have included the Secretary of State’s Office purchasing a campaign finance reporting program from the state of Washington. Even if that purchase occurs, however, the program will must be customized to New Mexico, which will take money and time, Herrera’s deputy, Don Francisco Trujillo II, told state lawmakers recently.
Herrera has spent only a small portion off the $176,500 the Legislature appropriated to build the in-house campaign finance reporting system. Instead she tapped her office’s operating budget, her deputy, Trujillo told lawmakers.
In a short interview with the Independent on Monday, Herrera went out of her way to call on her critics, especially state Rep. Janice Arnold Jones, R-Albuquerque, to “help me get that money” to pay for a new campaign finance reporting system.
“She’s been the one speaking out,” Herrera said.
The agency’s unsuccessful efforts to build its own campaign finance reporting system burst into public view in late June when the office’s Web site and other computer-based services went down for several days.
An evaluation put together since then by the Legislative Finance Committee found that the Secretary of State’s Office lacked both the technical capability to manage information technology projects and a “viable disaster recovery” plan for its “mission critical” systems.
